Systems and methods for providing zip code linked web sites

ABSTRACT

A system and method that establishes a network node containing public and private information related to a plurality of geographic zones or ZIP Codes; receives a request from a user to access the node ( 1004 ); enables the user to view the information related to a zone; receives a user selection of private or public informaton ( 1008 ). If private information is selected, determines whether the user is a resident of a geographic area corresponding to the zone ( 1016 ); and modifies the user information contained in the node for the zone in response to a user request, it is determined that the user resides in the geographic area corresponding to the zone. If the public information is selected ( 1010 ), in response to the user&#39;s request, searches the public information ( 1012 ) and providing the user with general information relevant to the zone ( 1012 ).

RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] Under provisions of 35 U.S.C. § 119(e), the applicants claim thebenefit of U.S. provisional application serial No. 60/231,340, filedSep. 8, 2000, which is hereby expressly incorporated herein byreference.

DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART

[0002] 1. Technical Field

[0003] The present invention relates to a system and method forcommunicating and retrieving public information and modifying privateinformation associated with a geographic area. More particularly, thepresent invention, which is illustrated by specific embodiments,involves communicating and retrieving public information and modifyingprivate information associated with a geographic area via a network.

[0004] 2. Background of the Invention

[0005] The Internet has been hailed as the information source of thefuture, as a result of its accessibility and usability. Almost anycomputer equipped with a communication mechanism such as a modem andtelephone connection can gain access to the Internet. A program called abrowser, such as the Netscape Navigator from Netscape Corporation, makesit a simple task to traverse the vast network of information availableon the Internet and, specifically, its subpart known as the “World WideWeb.”

[0006] The architecture of the Web follows a conventional client-servermodel. The terms “client” and “server” are used to refer to a computer'sgeneral role as a requester of data (the client) or provider of data(the server). Under the web environment, web browsers reside in clientsand content, in the form of specially formatted “web documents,” resideson Internet (web) servers. Web clients and web servers communicate usinga conventional protocol called “HyperText Transfer Protocol” (HTTP).

[0007] In operation, a browser opens a connection to a server andinitiates a request for a document. The server delivers the requesteddocument, typically in HTML format. After the document is delivered, theconnection is closed. The browser displays the document or performs afunction designated by the document.

[0008] Every day, more people gain access to the Web, and every day,more of them are shopping and gathering information online. However, inorder for Internet users to gather information (e.g., demographic,socioeconomic, housing, and commercial information) related to aspecific geographic area, defined, for example, by one or more postalZIP Codes, users must use a search-enabled web site. Utilizing the website, users must then conduct a search and sort through, and perhapscombine, the returned information to compose a summary of the topic ofinterest associated with the geographic area.

[0009] Even if the search-enabled web site allows the user to focus thesearch to a city and/or surrounding areas, the conducted search requirestwo stages. The first stage includes a search of the selected city andthe second stage includes a search of the surrounding area. Users areunable to conduct a multi-stage search in which the user may initiatethe search in one geographic area and then at the user's directionslowly expand the search to encompass other adjacent geographic areas,until the user receives a satisfactory response.

[0010] In addition to the Internet, systems utilizing othercommunication networks such as the public switch network using Internetprotocols, and Virtual Private networks (VPNs), which provides protectedcommunications over the Internet, enable users also to conduct searches.These searches, however, do not enable users to conduct a multi-stagesearch in which the user may initiate the search in one geographic areaand then at the user's direction slowly expand the search to encompassother adjacent geographic areas, until the user receives a satisfactoryresponse.

[0011] Therefore, there is a need for a system and method thatefficiently enables users to retrieve and communicate public informationand modify private information associated with a geographic area.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Consistent with the present invention, a system and method forretrieving and communicating public information and modifying privateinformation, related to a selected postal ZIP Code or geographic area,is provided that avoids the problems associated with current systems andmethods.

[0013] In one aspect, a system and method consistent with the presentinvention provides geographic information via a network that comprisesestablishing a network node containing public and private informationrelated to a plurality of geographic zones or ZIP Codes, administered bythe Unites States Postal Service (USPS); receiving a request from a userto access the network node; enabling the user to view the informationrelated to a geographic zone or ZIP Code; and receiving a user selectionfor private or public information.

[0014] If the user selects the private information, the node determineswhether the user is a resident of a geographic area or ZIP Codecorresponding to the zone. If it is determined that the user is aresident of the geographic area or ZIP Code, in response to the user'srequest, the user is allowed to modify the user's information containedfor the geographic zone or ZIP Code.

[0015] If the user selects the public information, in response to auser's request, the node may search the public information and providethe user with general information relevant to the geographic zone or ZIPCode.

[0016] Both the foregoing general description and the following detaileddescription are exemplary and are intended to provide furtherexplanation of the invention as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] The accompanying drawings provide a further understanding of theinvention and, together with the detailed description, explain theprinciples of the invention. In the drawings:

[0018]FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of a computer network consistentwith the present invention.

[0019]FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a client-serversystem interconnected through a network consistent with the presentinvention.

[0020]FIG. 3 is an illustration of a home web page consistent with thepresent invention.

[0021]FIG. 4 is an illustration of a zip request web page consistentwith the present invention.

[0022]FIG. 5 is an illustration of a private/public web page consistentwith the present invention.

[0023]FIG. 6 is an illustration of a public information web pageconsistent with the present invention.

[0024]FIGS. 7A and 7B are illustrations of an expanding multi-stagesearch consistent with the present invention.

[0025]FIG. 8 is an illustration of a private information web pageconsistent with the present invention.

[0026]FIG. 9 is an illustration of a resident information web pageconsistent with the present invention.

[0027]FIG. 10 is a flow chart of one method for accessing publicinformation and modifying private information consistent with thepresent invention.

[0028]FIG. 11 is a flow chart of a second method for accessing publicinformation and modifying private information consistent with thepresent invention.

[0029]FIGS. 12 and 13 illustrate an exemplary method of processing auser's request and storing information consistent with the presentinvention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0030] Reference will now be made in detail to the present exemplaryembodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in theaccompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numberswill be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.

[0031] Network Architecture

[0032]FIG. 1 illustrates a conceptual diagram of a computer system 100interconnected in various ways, including through a network 101, such asthe Internet. Computer system 100 comprises nodes such as smallcomputers (such as computers 102, 104, 106, 108, 110, 112 and 114) andlarge computers (such as servers 120 and 122). In general, smallcomputers are “personal computers” or workstations and are the sites atwhich a human user operates the computer to make requests for data fromother computers or servers on the network. Usually, the requested dataresides in large computers. In this scenario, small computers areclients and the large computers are servers.

[0033] In this specification, the terms “client” and “server” are usedto refer to a computer's general role as a requester of data (client) orprovider of data (server). In general, the size of a computer or theresources associated with it do not preclude the computer's ability toact as a client or a server. Further, each computer may request data inone transaction and provide data in another transaction, thus changingthe computer's role from client to server, or vice versa.

[0034] A client node, such as computer 102, may request a file from anode such as server A 120. Since computer 102 is directly connected toserver A 120, for example, through a local area network, this requestwould not normally result in a transfer of data over network 101. Adifferent request from computer 102 may be for a file that resides inserver B 122. In this case, the data is transferred from server B 122through network 101 to server A 120 and, finally, to computer 102.Network 101 may be a wireless, coaxial cable, or any other type ofelectronic communications network. The distance between server A 120 andserver B 122 may be very long, e.g. across continents, or very short,e.g., within the same city. Further, in traversing the network the datamay be transferred through several intermediate servers and many routingdevices, such as bridges and routers.

[0035]FIG. 2 shows, in more detail, a portion of system 100. In thisexample, server B 122 is interconnected through network 101 to a client108. Client 108 includes conventional components such as a processor224, a memory 225 (e.g. RAM), a bus 226 which couples processor 224 andmemory 225, a mass storage device 227 (e.g. a magnetic hard disk or anoptical storage disk) coupled to processor 224 and memory 225 through anI/O controller 228 and a network interface 229, such as a conventionalmodem.

[0036] Server B122 also includes conventional components such as aprocessor 234, a memory 235 (e.g. RAM), a bus 236 which couplesprocessor 234 and memory 235, a mass storage device 237 (e.g. a magneticor optical disk) coupled to processor 234 and memory 235 through an I/Ocontroller 238 and a network interface 239, such as a conventionalmodem. It will be appreciated from the description below that thepresent invention may be implemented in software which is stored asexecutable instructions on a computer readable medium on the client andserver systems, such as mass storage devices 227 and 237 respectively,or in memories 225 and 235 respectively.

[0037] Distributed Document Retrieval

[0038] The Internet consists of a worldwide computer network thatcommunicates using well defined protocol known as the Internet Protocol(IP). Nodes that are directly connected to the Internet each have anunique address consisting of four numbers separated by periods such as“192.101.0.3”. To simplify Internet addressing, a “Domain Name System”was created that allows users to access Internet resources with asimpler alphanumeric naming system. For example, the name “USPS.com” isthe name for a computer operated by the United States Postal Service.

[0039] To further define the addresses of resources on the Internet, aUniform Resource Locator system was created that uses a Uniform ResourceLocator (URL) as a descriptor that specifically defines a type ofInternet resource and its location. URLs have the following format:“resource-type://domain.address/path-name.” The “resource-type” definesthe type of Internet resource. Web documents, for example, areidentified by the resource type “http”, which indicates the protocolused to access the document.

[0040] To access a document on the Web, the user enters a URL for theweb document into a browser program executing on a client system with aconnection to the Internet. The web browser then sends a request inaccordance with the HTTP protocol to the web server that has the webdocument using the URL. The web server responds to the request bytransmitting the requested object to the client. In many cases, theobject is a plain text document containing text (in ASCII) that iswritten in HTML. Such objects often contain “hyperlinks,” that is,connections to other web documents. The web browser displays the HTMLdocument on the screen for the user and the hyperlinks to other webdocuments are emphasized in some fashion such that the user can selectthe hyperlink.

[0041] Exemplary Embodiment

[0042] An exemplary embodiment of the present invention will beexplained using the system architecture explained above in conjunctionwith FIGS. 1 and 2. In the exemplary embodiment, a user utilizes aclient and a browser, such as computer 114 and browser 103, to enter aURL for a node such as the United States Postal Service(http://www.USPS.com/). Browser 103 then sends a request for the USPShome web page through network 101 to the node at a web server, such asserver A 120. Server A 120 contains public and private informationrelated to a plurality of geographic zones, such as postal ZIP Codes.

[0043] The request from browser 103 to server A 120 is transmitted inaccordance with the HTTP protocol. Server A 120 responds to the requestby transmitting the requested object (i.e., the USPS home Web page) tobrowser 103 through network 101, thus enabling the user to viewinformation related to a geographic zone.

[0044] Once home web page 100, illustrated in FIG. 3, is presented onbrowser 103, the user, among other selectable items on the home webpage, may select a clickable area 302 associated with text indicatingthat ZIP Code information is available. It is important to note that,whenever the user selects a clickable area and submits a request foranother web page containing information, the request from browser 103 issent to server A 120, and server A 120 responds with the requested webpage. The request and the response are both transmitted via the HTTPprotocol.

[0045] In this exemplary embodiment, If the user selects clickable area302, a request is submitted to server A 120 and it responds to browser103 with a zip request web page 400 (FIG. 4). The user may then enter inentry box 402 the ZIP Code from which information is requested. Forexample, the user may enter the ZIP Code “30324,” which represents ageographic area in Atlanta, Ga.

[0046] In response to the request, server A 120 provides browser 103with a private/public web page 500 (FIG. 5), thus enabling the user inthe displayed web page to select between private and public informationby selecting one of the clickable areas on private/public web page 500.If the user selects the clickable area 502, browser 103 will submit arequest to server A 120 for the public information web page 600 (FIG.6). Server A 120 responds to the request by transferring publicinformation web page 600 to browser 103.

[0047] In public information web page 600, the user may enter a keywordor search term, in data entry box 602, that may be associated with theinformation that the user may want to retrieve. By clicking on thekeyword button 604 or search button 606, the user through browser 103submits a request for a keyword or term search to server A 120. Server A120 responds to the request to the keyword or term search by providingany public information, which may be stored, for the given ZIP Code areathat is associated with the keyword or search term. The storedinformation may include, for example, general information about the ZIPCode, such as demographic, socioeconomic, and housing information. Thegeneral information stored for any given ZIP Code or geographic area maybe compiled from commercial databases.

[0048] Additionally, public information web page 600 may present a map,such as map 608 or aerial image 616 of the ZIP Code area, so that theuser may click on a desired area (clickable areas 610-614 and 618-622)as a way of refining a search. This map feature for refining a searchmay be available to a user before or after a related key word or termsearch is undertaken.

[0049] For example, a user may start by choosing a geographic subset,which may be represented by clickable areas (610-614 and 618-622) on map608 and aerial image 616. Then, if the user undertakes a search, thissearch may only encompass the chosen geographic subset. In contrast, auser may start with a search engine search and then further refine thesearch by choosing a particular geographic subset from map 608 or aerialimage 616.

[0050] Furthermore, in contrast to refining a search using map 608 oraerial image 616, a user may expand the search by selecting expandsearch button 614. After an initial search within the selected ZIP Code(e.g., ZIP Code 22201), the user may expand the search to surroundingZIP Codes in a multi-stage process. The system thus searches the publicinformation, in response to a user request, and provides the user withgeneral information relevant to the ZIP Code or geographic area.

[0051] FIGS. 7A-7B illustrates an example of the multi-stage searchprocess. FIG. 7A illustrates that if a user conducts a search for a shoerepair shop within ZIP Code “22201” and did not receive an adequateresponse, by selecting expand search button 624, the search may beautomatically expanded to the bordering ZIP Codes (e.g., ZIP Codes 22202and 22203). Further yet, if the user does not receive an adequateresponse from this expanded search, the user may again select expandsearch button 624 and further expand the search, as illustrated in FIG.7B. FIG. 7B illustrates that the search has now been expanded to includeother bordering ZIP Codes (e.g., ZIP Codes 22204, 22205, 22304, and22301).

[0052] Therefore, the “expand search feature of one embodiment of thepresent invention enables the user to initiate a search in a geographicarea (i.e., a ZIP Code) and then continually expand the search to othersurrounding geographic areas (i.e., other surrounding ZIP Codes) untilan adequate response is received. The other surrounding areas searchedmay not be within the same city and state.

[0053] Returning to private/public web page 500 (FIG. 5), if atprivate/public web page 500, the user selects the clickable area 504,browser 103 will submit a request to server A 120 for the privateinformation web page 800 (FIG. 8). Server A 120 responds to the requestby transferring a private information web page 800 to browser 103.

[0054] Private information web page 800 is an entry point to aproprietary area of the web site that requires the user to authenticatethe user's residence within the ZIP Code area. For authentication, theuser may be required to enter a first name 802, a last name 804, anaddress 806, and a password 808 into private web page 800. Once the userhas entered the required information, if the user selects process button810, browser 103 submits an authentication request to server A 120.However, if the user decides not to submit an authentication request,the user may select the clear form button 812 and exit privateinformation web page 800.

[0055] Assuming that the user selected process button 810 to proceedwith the authentication, and the user resides in the selected ZIP Codearea, server A 120 authenticates the user and responds by providing theresident information web page 900 (FIG. 9) to browser 103. Server A 120may authenticate the user utilizing a digital certificate to uniquelyidentify the user and to provide authorization for the user to accessthe private information. An exemplary digital certificate of authorityis described in U.S. Ser. No. 09/809,325, filed Mar. 16, 2001, by Leo J.Campbell et al. and titled “Methods and Systems for Proofing IdentitiesUsing a Certificate Authority,” the entire disclosure of which isexpressly incorporated herein by reference.

[0056] In resident information web page 900, the user may access andchange (i.e., add, delete, modify, etc.) the user's authenticationinformation, which may include, for example, the user's first name 802,last name 804, address 806, password 808, business target market 902,business special offers 904, and other user specified information 906.It is important to note that for the purposes of this description theuser may be an individual or an entity residing in the selected ZIP Codeor geographic area (e.g., a business, a non-profit organization, areligious organization, etc.).

[0057] As an example of the function of one of the above mentionedfields, in business special offers 904, a shoe repair shop in a givenZIP Code may modify its information to indicate that it is having aspecial. When a user utilizes public information web page 600, asexplained above, the user will be informed that if two pairs of shoesare brought to Joe's Shoe Shop they can be re-heeled and re-soled for$5.

[0058] Once the information is modified in resident information web page900, the user may submit the modified information by selecting processbutton 914. In response to the user selecting process button 914,browser 103 transmits a request to server A 120 for the user informationto be updated. The updated information may then be aggregated with allof the other information for the particular ZIP Code area.

[0059] However, if the user decides not to modify the residentinformation, the user may select the clear form button 916 and exitresident information web page 900.

[0060] System Method of Operation

[0061]FIG. 10 is a flow chart of a method for communicating andretrieving public information and modifying private information, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10illustrates that a node receives a request from a user to log onto a website, such as USPS.com (1004). Once the user is log on, the nodereceives a request for a web page related to a geographic zone, such asa ZIP Code (1006). In response the node, displays the web pagecorresponding to the given ZIP Code. The node may then receive a requestto access one of two main areas of the web page. One area providespublic information corresponding to the given ZIP Code and the otherprovides private user information.

[0062] If the node receives a request for the public access, the nodedisplays the USPS public access web page for a given ZIP Code (1008 and1010). The public access area may include, for example, information onlocal businesses, restaurants, and professional service providers in theZIP Code area. The public access area for the given ZIP Code could alsoinclude general information about the ZIP Code, such as demographic,socioeconomic, and housing profiles, for example. The public accessinformation about the ZIP Code may be compiled from commercial databasesfor display in the public access area.

[0063] Once the public access web page is displayed, the node mayreceive a request for a search using a keyword or search term that maybe associated with the information that the user may want to retrieve.By clicking on the keyword button 604 or search button 606 (FIG. 6), theuser submits a request for a keyword or term search 1012. After theresult to the search is returned or before the search is conducted, thenode may receive an input using a map or aerial image of the ZIP Codearea, as a way of focusing the search 1012, before the requestedinformation is displayed.

[0064] Furthermore, in contrast to refining a search using the map orthe aerial image, the node may receive a request to expand the search byusing an expand search button 614 (FIG. 6) 1014. After an initial searchwithin the selected ZIP Code (e.g., ZIP Code 22201), the node mayreceive a request to expand the search to surrounding ZIP Codes in amulti-stage process, where the search is expanded to adjacentsurrounding areas until the node displays a favorable result or receivesa request to end the search 1022.

[0065] If the node does not receive a request for the public access areaof the web page, the node may receive a request to access a proprietaryarea of the web page that requires authentication of the users residencewithin the ZIP Code 1016. The node may authenticate the user, forexample, utilizing a digital certificate to uniquely identify the userand to provide authorization for the user to access the proprietaryarea. Once authenticated, the node may receive a request to access andchange the resident's authentication data (i.e., add, delete, modify,etc.) 1018. Once the information is updated, it is aggregated with allof the other information for that ZIP Code area 1020 and the method ends1022.

[0066]FIG. 11 illustrates a flow chart of an alternative embodiment,with ZIP Code linked web sites under the top level domain (TLD) names of.us' and/or “.post.” The basic idea is the same as the embodiment aboveusing USPS.com, but the “.us” and “.post” refers to an addressing schemewhich is more robust than using USPS.com. These TLDs are available fromthe Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (“ICANN”), whichis the addressing and numbering committee that determines the top leveldomains in the Internet addressing scheme, such as “.com”, “.org”,“.edu”, and “.net”. The “.post” TLD may be available to the UnitedStates Postal Service (USPS) or to postal administrations worldwide.

[0067] Many postal administrations, such as Royal Mail in England, mayset up an address scheme in the form of somebody or something atroyal_mail.post.uk. If the USPS were administering “.us”, the samescheme could be used in America. However, if the USPS does notadminister the u.us” TLD, it might be less intuitive for users to knowthat their own postal administration in the U.S. has its own domainwhich may be upost.us” or simply “.post”.

[0068]FIG. 11 illustrates that a node receives a request from a user tolog onto the USPS web site at “.us” and/or “.post” (1102). Once the userlogs on, the node may receive a request for a web page corresponding toa geographic area, such as a ZIP Code (1104). The node may then receivea request to access one of two main areas of the web page. One areaprovides public information corresponding to the given ZIP Code and theother provides private user information.

[0069] If the node receives a request for the public access, the nodedisplays the USPS public access web page for a given ZIP Code (1106 and1108). The public access area may include, for example, information onlocal businesses, restaurants, and professional service providers in theZIP Code area. The public access area for the given ZIP Code could alsoinclude general information about the ZIP Code, such as demographic,socioeconomic, and housing profiles, for example. The public accessinformation about the ZIP Code or geographic area may be compiled fromcommercial databases for display in the public access area.

[0070] Once the public access web page is displayed, the node mayreceive a request for a search using a keyword or search term that maybe associated with the information that the user may want to retrieve.By clicking on the keyword button 604 or search button 606 (FIG. 6), theuser submits a request for a keyword or term search 1110. After theresult to the search is returned or before the search is conducted, thenode may receive an input using a map or aerial image of the ZIP Codearea, as a way of focusing the search 1110, before the requestedinformation is displayed.

[0071] Furthermore, in contrast to refining a search using the map orthe aerial image, the node may receive a request to expand the search byusing an expand search button 614 (FIG. 6) 1112. After an initial searchwithin the selected ZIP Code (e.g., ZIP Code 22201), the node mayreceive a request to expand the search to surrounding ZIP Codes in amulti-stage process, where the search is expanded to adjacentsurrounding areas until the node displays a favorable result or receivesa request to end the search 1120.

[0072] If the node does not receive a request for the public access areaof the web page, the node may receive a request to access a proprietaryarea of the web page that requires authentication of the user'sresidence within the ZIP Code 1114. The node may authenticate the user,for example, utilizing a digital certificate to uniquely identify theuser and to provide authorization for the user to access the proprietaryarea. Once authenticated, the node may receive a request to access andchange the resident's authentication data (i.e., add, delete, modify,etc.) 1116. Once the information is updated, it is aggregated with allof the other information for that ZIP Code area 1120 and the method ends1120.

[0073] Exemplary Method for Storing and Retrieving User Information

[0074] In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention FIGS.12 and 13 illustrate an exemplary method of processing a user's requestand storing information. In the exemplary method, an electronic postmark(EPM) may be used to track the receipt of the user's request to changehis information. An exemplary EPM is described in U.S. Ser. No.09/675,677, filed Sep. 29, 2000, by Leo Campbell et al. and titled“Systems and Methods for Authenticating an Electronic Message,” thedisclosure of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety. The EPM may include the time and date of the request, anduser's identification information, and allows a system to keep track ofrequest transactions. Thereafter, the system creates a storage EPM 1206based on an electronic file containing the user's information.

[0075] The system creates the storage EPM 1206 by generating a hash file1208 from an electronic file 1202, and storing the hash file 1204 instorage EPM 1206. The component may generate hash file 1204 using knownhashing techniques, such as a Secure Hash Algorithm (“SHA-1), atechnique based on an algorithm provided by Rivest, Shamir, and Adelman(“RSA”), and a Message Digest algorithm (“MD5”). This component alsostores in storage EPM 1206 a time and date stamp 1210 to indicate thetime and date of the storage of the electronic file. In addition, thecomponent may store in storage EPM 1206 a digital signature 1212, adigital key 1214 for digitally securing the storage EPM 1206, as well ascustomer identification information all may be store in EPM 1206.

[0076] Thereafter, this component stores the storage EPM 1206 in anarchive database. The archive database may include tables for storingstorage EPMs, logs for EPM transactions, and archive administratorsystem files. The electronic file may remain in storage for a length oftime that is determined by the user. The archive database will bediscussed below in conjunction with FIG. 13.

[0077]FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a method for retrieving archivedinformation by the user. As shown in FIG. 13, a user may submit anaccess request for an archived electronic file containing the user'sinformation (stage 1302). The access request includes informationidentifying the archived electronic file and customer identificationinformation, such as a digital certificate and optionally the user'sfirst name, last name, address, password, business target market,business special offers, and other user specified information. Theinformation identifying the archived electronic file may include, forexample, a filename for the electronic file. The archive administratorcomponent creates an access request EPM based on the customeridentification information, and applies it to the access request bygenerating a record for the transaction in transaction log 1316 inarchive database 1314 (stage 1304). The access request EPM may be usedto track access requests for the archived electronic file and mayinclude the time and date of the access request, and customeridentification information.

[0078] An archive administrator component (not shown) then verifieswhether the user is allowed to access the archived electronic file,using information in authorization database 1308, customeridentification information, and information identifying the archivedelectronic file (stage 1306). If the user is not allowed access to thearchived electronic file (“No”), the archive administrator component maysend an appropriate message to the user and terminates the transaction(stage 1310). Otherwise (“Yes”), the archive administrator componentretrieves a copy of the archived electronic file from archive database1314 (stage 1312). More specifically, the archive administratorcomponent retrieves the storage EPM 1206 from archive database 1314based on the customer identification information and the informationidentifying the archived electronic file. Next, the archiveadministrator component retrieves the archived electronic file from thehash of data 1208 in the storage EPM 1206.

[0079] In addition, the archive administrator component creates anaccess EPM and applies it to the archived electronic file by generatinga record for the transaction in a transaction log 1316 in the archivedatabase 1314 (stage 1318). An access EPM includes the time and date onwhich the access request was processed by the archive system.

[0080] Thereafter, the archive administrator component provides the useraccess to the electronic file by sending the copy of the electronic fileto the user over network 101 (FIG. 1) (stage 1320). The user may thenmake changes to the electronic file, and may request the revisedelectronic file be archived by the archive system. For additionaldetails on the archive system refer to U.S. Ser. No. ______, filed Sep.7, 2001, by Leo J. Campbell et al. and titled “Methods and Systems forProviding Electronic Archiving,” the entire disclosure of which isexpressly incorporated herein by reference.

[0081] Other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practiceof the invention disclosed herein. It is intended that the specificationand examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope andspirit of the invention being indicated by the following claims.

CONCLUSION

[0082] As explained, systems and methods consistent with the presentinvention permits users to communicate and retrieve public information,and modify private information associated with a specific geographicarea or ZIP Code. The foregoing description of implementations of theinvention has been presented for purposes of illustration anddescription. It is not exhaustive and does not limit the invention tothe precise form disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible inlight of the above teachings or may be acquired from practicing of theinvention: For example, the described implementation includes softwarebut the present invention may be implemented as a combination ofhardware and software or in hardware alone. The invention may beimplemented with both object-oriented and non-object-orientedprogramming systems. Additionally, although aspects of the presentinvention are described as being stored in memory, one skilled in theart will appreciate that these aspects can also be stored on other typesof computer-readable media, such as secondary storage devices, like harddisks, floppy disks, or CD-ROM; a carrier wave from the Internet orother propagation medium; or other forms of RAM or ROM. The scope of theinvention is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for providing geographic information viaa network, comprising the steps of: establishing a network nodecontaining public and private information related to a plurality ofgeographic zones; receiving a request from a user to access the node;enabling the user to view the information related to a zone; receiving auser selection of private or public information; if private informationis selected, determining whether the user is a resident of a geographicarea corresponding to the zone; modifying user information contained inthe node for the zone in response to a user request, if it is determinedthat the user resides in the geographic area corresponding to the zone;and if the public information is selected, in response to the user'srequest, searching the public information and providing the user withgeneral information relevant to the zone.
 2. The method of claim 1,wherein determining that the user resides in the geographic areacomprises authenticating the user.
 3. The method of claim 2, whereinauthenticating the user comprises using at least one of uniqueinformation, a password, and other information specified by the user. 4.The method of claim 1, wherein the user is one of an individual, abusiness, and an organization.
 5. The method of claim 1, whereinsearching the public information comprises using an expandingmulti-stage search to display the general information relevant to thezone.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the user request is archived andinformation accessed based on an EPM.
 7. The method of claim 1, whereinsearching the public information comprises receiving input from an areawithin a map to focus the search.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein thenode can receive the input from the area on the map, to focus thesearch, before and after initiating the search.
 9. The method of claim1, wherein searching the public information comprises receiving inputfrom an area within an aerial image to focus the search.
 10. The methodof claim 9, wherein the node can receive the input from the area on theaerial image, to focus the search, before and after initiating thesearch.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the information relevant tothe zone includes information about businesses in the geographic areacorresponding to the zone.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein theinformation about businesses in the geographic area includes informationrelated to a target market for the businesses.
 13. The method of claim1, wherein the information relevant to the zone includes informationabout residences in the geographic area corresponding to the zone. 14.The method of claim 1, wherein the information relevant to the zonecomprises at least one of demographic, socioeconomic, and housingprofiles.
 15. A method for providing information relevant to a selectedgeographic area, comprising the steps of: establishing a databaseincluding information for a plurality of geographic areas; receiving arequest to access information from the database relevant to thegeographic area; allowing the user to select between private and publicinformation within the database that is associated with the geographicarea; and enabling the user to execute a search and view the selectedinformation for the geographic area.
 16. The method of claim 15, whereinif a request for private information is received a determination is madewhether the user is a resident of the geographic area, before allowingthe user to modify information contained in the database for thegeographic area.
 17. The method of claim 15, wherein a user's request isreceived and information is accessed based upon an EPM.
 18. The methodof claim 16, wherein determining whether the user resides in thegeographic area comprises authenticating the user's unique information,password, and other information specified by the user.
 19. The method ofclaim 15, wherein the user is one of an individual, a business, and anorganization.
 20. The method of claim 15, wherein, if a request isreceived for the public information, searches are conducted on thepublic information and results are provided with general informationrelevant to the geographic area.
 21. The method of claim 20, whereinsearching the public information comprises receiving input from an areawithin a map to focus the search.
 22. The method of claim 21, whereinthe input from the area on the map can be received, to focus the search,before and after initiating the search.
 23. The method of claim 15,wherein searching the public information comprises using an expandingmulti-stage search to display the selected geographic information. 24.The method of claim 20, wherein searching the public informationcomprises receiving an input from an area within an aerial image tofocus the search.
 25. The method of claim 24, wherein the input from thearea on the aerial image can be received, to focus the search, beforeand after initiating the search.
 26. The method of claim 15, wherein thepublic information relevant to the geographic area comprises informationrelevant to businesses in the geographic area.
 27. The method of claim26, wherein the information relevant to businesses in the geographicarea comprises sales offers and information related to a target marketof the businesses.
 28. The method of claim 15, wherein the publicinformation relevant to the geographic area comprises informationrelevant to residences in the geographic area.
 29. The method of claim15, wherein the public information relevant to the geographic areacomprises demographic, socioeconomic, and housing profiles.
 30. Anetwork that provides geographic information, comprising: a node on thenetwork that contains a database, and that: provides information relatedto a plurality of geographic areas, receives user selection betweenprivate and public information within a geographic area, if privateinformation is selected, the node determines whether the user is aresident in the geographic area, and if the user resides in thegeographic area, allows the user to modify information contained withinthe database, if public information is selected, in response to theuser's selection, searches the public information and provides the userwith general information relevant to the geographic area.
 31. The systemof claim 30, wherein the node determines whether the user resides in thegeographic area by authenticating the users unique information,password, and other information specified by the user.
 32. The system ofclaim 30, wherein the user is one of an individual, a business, and anorganization.
 33. The system of claim 30, wherein a user's request isreceived and information is accessed based upon an EPM.
 34. The systemof claim 30, wherein the node can focus the search of the publicinformation by receiving input from an area within a map.
 35. The systemof claim 34, wherein the input from the area on the map can be received,to focus the search, before and after initiating the search.
 36. Thesystem of claim 30, wherein the node can focus the search of the publicinformation by receiving input from an area within an aerial image. 37.The system of claim 36, wherein the input from the area on the aerialimage can be received, to focus the search, before and after initiatingthe search.
 38. The system of claim 30, wherein the public informationrelevant to the geographic area comprises information relevant tobusinesses in the geographic area.
 39. The system of claim 30, whereinthe node can expand the search using a multi-stage search to provide theuser with the information relevant to the geographic area.
 40. Thesystem of claim 38, wherein the information relevant to businesses inthe geographic area comprises sales offers and information related to atarget market of the businesses.
 41. The system of claim 30, wherein thepublic information relevant to the geographic area comprises informationrelevant to residences in the geographic area.
 42. The system of claim30, wherein the public information relevant to the geographic areacomprises demographic, socioeconomic, and housing profiles.
 43. A systemfor providing geographic information via a network, comprising: meansfor establishing a network node containing public and privateinformation related to a plurality of geographic zones; means forreceiving a request from a user to access the node; means for enablingthe user to view the information related to a zone; means for receivinga user selection of private or public information; if privateinformation is selected, means for determining whether the user is aresident of a geographic area corresponding to the zone; means formodifying user information contained in the node for the zone inresponse to a user request, if it is determined that the user resides inthe geographic area corresponding to the zone; and if the publicinformation is selected, in response to the user's request, means forsearching the public information and providing the user with generalinformation relevant to the zone.
 44. The system of claim 43, whereinthe means for determining that the user resides in the geographic areacomprises means for authenticating the user.
 45. The system of claim 43,wherein means for receiving the user's request and accessinginformation, based on an EPM, is provided.
 46. The system of claim 44,wherein the means for authenticating the user comprises using at leastone of unique information, a password, and other information specifiedby the user.
 47. The system of claim 43, wherein the user is one of anindividual, a business, and an organization.
 48. The system of claim 43,wherein the means for searching the public information comprises meansfor using an expanding multi-stage search to display the generalinformation relevant to the zone.
 49. The system of claim 43, whereinthe means for searching the public information comprises means forreceiving input from an area within a map to focus the search.
 50. Thesystem of claim 49, wherein the means for searching further comprisesmeans for receiving the input from the area on the map, to focus thesearch, before and after initiating the search.
 51. The system of claim43, wherein the means for searching the public information comprisesmeans for receiving input from an area within an aerial image to focusthe search.
 52. The system of claim 51, wherein the means for searchingfurther comprises means to receive the input from the area on the aerialimage, to focus the search, before and after initiating the search. 53.A method for providing geographic information via a network, comprisingthe steps of: establishing a network node containing public and privateinformation related to a plurality of ZIP Codes; receiving a requestfrom a user to access the node; enabling the user to view theinformation related to a zone; receiving a user selection of private orpublic information; if private information is selected, determiningwhether the user is a resident of a ZIP Code corresponding to the zone;modifying user information contained in the node for the zone inresponse to a user request, if it is determined that the user resides inthe ZIP Code corresponding to the zone; and if the public information isselected, in response to the user's request, searching the publicinformation and providing the user with general information relevant tothe zone.
 54. The method of claim 53, wherein determining that the userresides in the ZIP Code comprises authenticating the user.
 55. Themethod of claim 53, wherein the request is received and information isaccessed based upon an EPM.
 56. The method of claim 54, whereinauthenticating the user comprises using at least one of uniqueinformation, a password, and other information specified by the user.57. The method of claim 53, wherein the user is one of an individual, abusiness, and an organization.
 58. The method of claim 53, whereinsearching the public information comprises using an expandingmulti-stage search to display the general information relevant to thezone.
 59. The method of claim 53, wherein searching the publicinformation comprises receiving input from an area within a map to focusthe search.
 60. The method of claim 59, wherein the node can receive theinput from the area on the map, to focus the search, before and afterinitiating the search.
 61. The method of claim 53, wherein searching thepublic information comprises receiving input from an area within anaerial image to focus the search.
 62. The method of claim 61, whereinthe node can receive the input from the area on the aerial image, tofocus the search, before and after initiating the search.
 63. The methodof claim 53, wherein the information relevant to the zone includesinformation about businesses in the Zip Code corresponding to the zone.64. The method of claim 63, wherein the information about businesses inthe ZIP Code includes information related to a target market for thebusinesses.
 65. The method of claim 53, wherein the information relevantto the zone includes information about residences in the ZIP Codecorresponding to the zone.
 66. The method of claim 53, wherein theinformation relevant to the zone comprises at least one of demographic,socioeconomic, and housing profiles.
 67. A network that providesgeographic information, comprising: a node on the network that containsa database, and that: provides information related to a plurality of ZIPCodes, receives user selection between private and public informationwithin a ZIP Code, if private information is selected, the nodedetermines whether the user is a resident in the ZIP Code, and if theuser resides in the ZIP Code, allows the user to modify informationcontained within the database, if public information is selected, inresponse to the user's selection, searches the public information andprovides the user with general information relevant to the ZIP Code. 68.The system of claim 67, wherein the node determines whether the userresides in the ZIP Code by authenticating the user's unique information,password, and other information specified by the user.
 69. The system ofclaim 67, wherein a user's request is received and information isaccessed based upon an EPM.
 70. The system of claim 67, wherein the useris one of an individual, a business, and an organization.
 71. The systemof claim 67, wherein the node can focus the search of the publicinformation by receiving input from an area within a map.
 72. The systemof claim 71, wherein the input from the area on the map can be received,to focus the search, before and after initiating the search.
 73. Thesystem of claim 67, wherein the node can focus the search of the publicinformation by receiving input from an area within an aerial image. 74.The system of claim 73, wherein the input from the area on the aerialimage can be received, to focus the search, before and after initiatingthe search.
 75. The system of claim 67, wherein the public informationrelevant to the ZIP Code comprises information relevant to businesses inthe ZIP Code.
 76. The system of claim 67, wherein the node can expandthe search using a multi-stage search to provide the user with theinformation relevant to the ZIP Code.
 77. The system of claim 75,wherein the information relevant to businesses in the ZIP Code comprisessales offers and information related to a target market of thebusinesses.
 78. The system of claim 67, wherein the public informationrelevant to the ZIP Code comprises information relevant to residences inthe ZIP Code.
 79. The system of claim 67, wherein the public informationrelevant to the ZIP Code comprises demographic, socioeconomic, andhousing profiles.